ARLINGTON, Texas – A man accused of a fatal hit-and-run crash involving the death of a motorcycle officer with the Arlington Police Department has been taken into custody, the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office said in a press release on Thursday.
The sheriff’s office Vehicle Crimes Unit obtained an arrest warrant Wednesday for Joshua Quintairo Watson, 26, of Jackson, Mississippi. He was arrested by the U.S. Marshals Task Force and is charged with a collision involving death, a second-degree felony, after Officer Darrin McMichael was killed last year, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported.
On Sept. 21, 2023, at about 6:10 a.m., McMichael, a 24-year law enforcement veteran, was struck on Interstate 20 near St. Augustine Drive in Dallas while commuting to work.
McMichael was rushed to Baylor Medical Center in Dallas where he was later pronounced dead. The striking driver fled and was not immediately located, Law Officer reported last year.
According to traffic investigators, the fatal collision occurred as motorists were coming to a stop in the left lane. The motorcycle officer did not stop in time and bumped into an SUV.
The motor officer fell off his bike after the initial collision. Another vehicle ran him over then fled the scene by driving between the bike and the median wall on the left side of the interstate, officials said shortly after the traffic fatality occurred.
On the day McMichael was killed, Chief Al Jones said the motor officer’s wife was also a member of the Arlington Police Department and was headed to work at the time of the crash, not far behind her husband.
“She was behind him. Unfortunately, she had to witness this tragic incident,” Jones noted.
After spending time with the family at the hospital, Chief Jones issued the following statement:
“Officer Darrin McMichael was a respected and beloved member of our APD family. We are heartbroken and we are hurting. This is a devastating loss that will be felt for a long time. Please pray for his wife, who is also an APD employee, his family, his friends, and his APD family. They need all the support they can get right now.”
The chief also confirmed for the members of the press that a motorcycle officer commuting to work on a city owned bike is considered on duty.
During McMichael’s career, he served as a patrol officer, a detective in the North Patrol District, and a member of the agency’s Motorcycle Unit for 13 years, NBC 5 DFW reported.
The Arlington Police Department issued a press statement on Thursday following the announcement of Watson’s arrest, according to Yahoo News.
“The death of Officer Darrin McMichael has left a permanent hole in the collective heart of our Arlington PD family. But today’s news lifts a tremendous weight off of the entire department. We’re incredibly relieved that a suspect has been identified, arrested, and charged in connection to his death,” APD said.
“We never stopped believing this case would be solved — and we’re eternally grateful for the investigative team who did not give up, even when it looked like the odds were stacked against them. We’d like to thank the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office for their partnership. We’d also like to recognize the efforts of the APD investigators who assisted DSO with this case,” the law enforcement agency concluded.
